Miami Beach

Last week, H and I went to Miami for a little warm getaway. The weather is NOT warming up in Baltimore, and we were feeling the need for some sun and sand. We stayed at the Eden Roc Hotel, which was wonderful, in a top floor room overlooking the property.

The first day we just lounged at the beach and by the pool. So happy to be in 80 degree weather.

This evening we went to the most fantastic restaurant in the middle of Miami Beach called Casa Tua. We ate outside in a courtyard, filled with trees adorned with lights. I truly felt like we were in Italy. The cuisine was Northern Italian-inspired and was absolutely amazing. The chef is Sergio Sigala, and he is going for his second Michelin Star with this restaurant. I have no doubt he will get it.

The next day we lounged at the beach, had a surprise visit from a friend, who had a long layover in the Miami Airport. The three of us went to the Fontainebleau Miami for lunch at their outdoor restaurant, La Cote.

La Cote

This evening we went to The Standard Hotel for sunset drinks at Lido, followed by a walk around Miami Beach Marina , then drinks at Monty’s before heading to Macchialina for dinner. Macchialina was another fantastic and authentic Italian restaurant in the heart of South Beach. Chef Pirolo had his culinary training in Italy, followed by a few restaurants in New York, is a James Beard Semi Finalist and now has this delicious restaurant in Miami Beach. We loved the experience. The decor is dark, cozy and chic all at once. They have indoor and outdoor dining, but sitting inside, you would never think you are in South Beach. It truly had a genuine Italian flare.

Monday morning we woke up and did a little shopping. We went to the Bal Harbour Shops. I was on a mission for a very particular Gucci wallet and bag. This Gucci store was one of the most fun and colorful locations I have been in. I did snag one of the items on my list (will post soon). After we headed to one of the most famous Cuban restaurants in South Beach called Puerto Sagua. It is a family-run, Zagat-rated restaurant that has been a Miami Beach staple for years. It is located in the shopping district of Miami Beach and very unassuming, but the food is fantastic. They have a large menu in the window because the lines are usually out the door. I have eaten here once before when I was in Miami, but really wanted to take H, as he is Cuban, and I knew he would love it. He gave it two thumbs up! We got way too much food, so slept it off on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.

This evening, we went to Smith and Wollensky for pre-dinner drinks. They have a really great outdoor bar space that overlooks the water where you can see across to Fisher Island. We had a drink before heading to the famous Joe’s Stone Crab for dinner. We got lots of stone crab and other house favorites. The restaurant was packed. They do not take reservations, so everyone waits at the bar and they call your name overhead. It’s very old-school and I loved it. We had one celebrity sighting the entire Miami trip and it was here. Ivana Trump was dining with her friends and she walked by our table on her way out.

We finished the night off stopping at The Clevelander, followed by the Fontainebleau Bleau Bar (as we did most nights as it was right next to Eden Roc) before heading back to the room.

On our last day we spent all day at the beach. We wanted to soak it all in before heading back to 40 degree weather in Maryland. We also spent time in the many pools at the Eden Roc hotel. They have four pools and two hot tubs in total. However, the ocean was so calm this final day (isn’t that how it always is?), that we spent most of our time there.

View of the many pools at Eden Roc Nobu from our balcony

This night we went on a tour of all of the best waterfront spots in Miami, starting at the Rusty Pelican, which has the best skyline views of downtown Miami at night. Secondly, we went to Seaspice, followed by Kiki on the River. All of these spots had the most gorgeous views of the city from the water. We finished at Monty’s Sunset for a casual dinner, walk around the marina, and feeding gigantic Tarpon fish. Side story, H and I were walking around the marina and a group of men were unloading Mahi Mahi off of their boat that they had caught that day. We started talking to them and they asked if we wanted to feed the fish that were circling the boat. When I say fish, I mean gigantic Tarpon that were almost my size and weighed 250 pounds! After speaking with the men for 15 minutes or so, we realized we were speaking to Pedro Martinez, and that was his boat. It was pretty cool to meet one of the best, hall-of-fame, baseball pitchers of all time. He was super nice and down to earth. It was a relaxed and cool way to end Miami.